Available thesis topics

Students interested in topics related to usable security and privacy have the opportunity to do their master theses / bachelor theses / practical research project (Einzelpraktikum) at the Research Institute CODE (Bundeswehr University Munich). More information on the research group on Usable Security and Privacy Group can be found on our website.

We offer a large variety of topics, including but not limited to:

• Behavioral Biometrics (Ansprechpartner: Lukas Mecke)
• Usable Security in Smart Homes (Ansprechpartner: Sarah Prange)
• Novel Security Mechanisms based on Gaze (Ansprechpartner: Yasmeen Abdrabou)
• Novel Blockchain User Interfaces (Ansprechpartner: Michael Froehlich)
• Physiologicacl Security (Ansprechpartner: Mariam Hassib)
• Social Engineering
• Virtual Reality as Research Methodology (Ansprechpartner: Rivu Radiah)

If you are interested in working with us, please get in touch with the respective contact person or send an email to Dr. Ken Pfeuffer.

Liebe Studieninteressierte,

im Rahmen eines Forschungsprojektes untersuchen wir das Interaktionsverhalten mit Smartphones. Dazu suchen wir Teilnehmer für eine kurze Online-Studie (Bearbeitungsdauer: 5 Minuten).

Um an der Studie teilzunehmen, rufen Sie bitte den folgenden Link mit ihrem Smartphone auf:
Online Studie zu Smartphone Interaktion.

Bei Rückfragen wenden Sie sich bitte an Kai Lebruschka.

Besten Dank für die Teilnahme!

Problem Statement

Usable security for virtual and augmented reality systems (VR/AR) is an area that is relatively underexplored. This thesis aims to investigate the feasibility of authentication mechanisms for VR/AR, while considering the usability and security aspects, specifically potential attacks.

Tasks

• Get familiar with VR/AR hardware and software
• Get familiar with authentication techniques
• Find and study related literature
• Develop\reuse software tracking the body motion and model it in VR
• Design a user study
• Conduct a user study
• Do a statistical evaluation
• Write all down in a thesis

Preferred (but not necessary) qualification

• Knowledge in the area of human computer interaction
• Independent thinking and creative problem solving
• Experience in programming with Unity a plus

Problem Statement

Our homes are currently equipped with ubiquitous computing services, be it our smart phones, smart TVs, Alex, or lifelogging devices. The availability of these devices offers novel opportunities for user authentication, as well as raises privacy concerns and potential novel security attacks. This thesis, aims to explore the raised opportunities and challenges from the availability of smart devices in our daily vicinity.

Tasks

• Get familiar with VR/AR hardware and software
• Get familiar with authentication techniques
• Find and study related literature
• Develop / reuse software tracking the body motion and model it in VR
• Design a user study
• Conduct a user study
• Do a statistical evaluation
• Write all down in a thesis

Preferred (but not necessary) qualification

• Knowledge in the area of human computer interaction
• Independent thinking and creative problem solving
• Experience in programming with Unity a plus

Problem Statement

Rendering the user’s body in virtual reality increases immersion and presence – the illusion of ‘being there’. Recent technology enables determining the pose and position of the body to render them accordingly while interacting within the virtual environment. However, it is unclear how users perceive different avatar styles. Additionally, how any manipulation in the avatars representation would influence the users’ states. In this thesis, we aim to explore the influencing factors of avatar perception.

Tasks

• Get familiar with VR and OptiTracker hardware and software
• Find and study related literature
• Develop / reuse software tracking the body motion and model it in VR
• Design a user study
• Conduct a user study
• Do a statistical evaluation
• Write all down in a thesis

Preferred (but not necessary) qualification

• Knowledge in the area of human computer interaction
• Independent thinking and creative problem solving
• Experience in programming with Unity a plus

Problem Statement

In the 21st Century, mental health disorders like stress, anxiety and depression have become a part of our daily lives. Current digital systems are largely blind to users’ stress states. Systems that adapt to users' states show great potential for creating novel user experiences. However, most approaches for sensing stress, involve obtrusive technologies, such as physiological sensors attached to users' bodies and not yet adapted to VR/AR. In this thesis, we aim to explore unobtrusive sensors for detecting stress, while considering VR/AR setups.

Tasks

• Get familiar with VR/AR hardware and software
• Get familiar with stress and affective computing
• Find and study related literature
• Develop\reuse software tracking the body motion and model it in VR
• Design a user study
• Conduct a user study
• Do a statistical evaluation
• Write all down in a thesis

Preferred (but not necessary) qualification

• Knowledge in the area of human computer interaction
• Independent thinking and creative problem solving
• Experience in programming with Unity a plus

Problem Statement

In the 21st Century, mental health disorders like stress, anxiety and depression have become a part of our daily lives. Current digital systems are largely blind to users’ stress states. Systems that adapt to users' states show great potential for creating novel user experiences. In this thesis, we aim to explore unobtrusive sensors for detecting stress and approaches of stress management in VR/AR setups.

Tasks

• Get familiar with VR/AR hardware and software
• Get familiar with stress and affective computing
• Find and study related literature
• Develop\reuse software tracking the body motion and model it in VR
• Design a user study
• Conduct a user study
• Do a statistical evaluation
• Write all down in a thesis

Preferred (but not necessary) qualification

• Knowledge in the area of human computer interaction
• Independent thinking and creative problem solving
• Experience in programming with Unity a plus

Description:

Smartphones are able to collect many information of their users: From low-level sensor data (e.g. orientation, acceleration) over high-level API data (e.g. used means of transportation) to data about language usage a lot is possible. The so called Quantified Selfers [1] are a community that is eager on quantifying their own lives, and analysing that data.

Mobile Sensing apps make us ubiquituous sensing technology for scientific purposes: For example recent psychologic research examines correlations between self-reported mood and sensed contextual information. However, the users a.k.a study participants do usually not get insight into their data in an understandable manner.

The idea for this work is to create a system that provides study participants with valuable feedback on their own data. Depending on your preferences, the focus of your thesis could be on (not limited to - further ideas are welcome):

• personalised feedback based e.g. on personality
• UI design and usability
• automatic detection of correlations in and generation of insights of the data
• concept to guide users in data exploration and foster self-reflection

Appropriate steps for your work would be:

• literature review in relevant research areas
• follow a concept development process to create an application concept
• implement your concept, either in Android or as web application
• evaluation of your system
• writing a thesis and presenting your results to an audience

The implementation will take place as part of the PhoneStudy [2,3] research project, thus an application basis (Android app and web backend) does already exist and you can focus on your feature within the existing ecosystem. Both Bachelor or Master Thesis are possible, the project scope can be adapted accordingly.

You need:

• Programming experience to implement the system in either Android or as web application (your choice)
• Own-initiative to do research and develop own ideas
• Ability to work independently and communicate with our interdisciplinary team

Application

References

[1] https://quantifiedself.com/[2] https://phonestudy.org/[3] https://osf.io/ut42y/

Description:

Smartphones are able to collect many information of their users: From low-level sensor data (e.g. orientation, acceleration) over high-level API data (e.g. used means of transportation) to data about language usage a lot is possible. The so called Quantified Selfers [1] are a community that is eager on quantifying their own lives, and analysing that data.

Mobile Sensing apps make us ubiquituous sensing technology for scientific purposes: For example recent psychologic research examines correlations between self-reported mood and sensed contextual information. However, the users a.k.a study participants do usually not get insight into their data in an understandable manner.

The idea for this work is to create a system that provides study participants with valuable feedback on their own data. Depending on your preferences, the focus of your thesis could be on (not limited to - further ideas are welcome):

• personalised feedback based e.g. on personality
• UI design and usability
• automatic detection of correlations in and generation of insights of the data
• concept to guide users in data exploration and foster self-reflection

Appropriate steps for your work would be:

• literature review in relevant research areas
• follow a concept development process to create an application concept
• implement your concept, either in Android or as web application
• evaluation of your system
• writing a thesis and presenting your results to an audience

The implementation will take place as part of the PhoneStudy [2,3] research project, thus an application basis (Android app and web backend) does already exist and you can focus on your feature within the existing ecosystem. Both Bachelor or Master Thesis are possible, the project scope can be adapted accordingly.

You need:

• Programming experience to implement the system in either Android or as web application (your choice)
• Own-initiative to do research and develop own ideas
• Ability to work independently and communicate with our interdisciplinary team

Application

References

[1] https://quantifiedself.com/[2] https://phonestudy.org/[3] https://osf.io/ut42y/

Description:

To improve a research app that builds on the Android source code (Android Open Source Project), I am looking for an experienced student who’d like to do an Einzelpraktikum in this winter term. The main task will be to incorporate recent changes of Google into the project, ensuring its stability and a good UX, but also adding some new features (depending on your time scope).Experience in the following topics is beneficial:

• Android and its modularization concept
• Experience with big Android projects
• Good Java and OO-programming architecture skills

If you are interested, please send an E-Mail to florian.bemmann ät ifi.lmu.de that contains a brief summary of your experiences. Afterwards we could meet to take a look into the project together and answer your questions!



Details

We're looking for a practical research student for user research and UI design in the context of an interdisciplinary research project at the intersection of Physics, Biology, and Computer Science. You will be working as part of a team of researchers and students from these domains.

Tasks:

• UI design and information visualization: Employ a user-centered design process to design a touch-based UI for a portable measurement instrument for cell research, including aspects such as information visualization and measurement control.
• User research: Adequately inform the design choices by assessing and considering needs and preferences of a variety of target user groups.
• Prototyping: Create suitable prototypes for the user-centered design process and for presenting the developed designs to various stakeholders.
• A first design prototype and insights from user interviews exist to get you started.

Requirements:

• Interest in interdisciplinary work, innovative technology, and cell research
• Background in human-computer interaction, information visualization, and/or user interface design
• Practical experience with user-centered design processes and UI/UX design methods and tools
• Teamplayer, independent scientific work, creative problem solving

The project is initially offered as an “Einzelpraktikum” for Master students (Media Informatics, MCI) for one or two semesters (6/12 ECTS, respectively).

Interested?

Send your application with transcript of records and examples of your UI design work via email to Dr. Daniel Buschek.

Effizienz ist ein wichtiger Faktor der Usabilityforschung. Im Allgemeinen beschreibt die Effizienz eines Systems den Aufwand, welchen ein Nutzer erbringen muss, um eine bestimmte Aufgabe zu erfüllen. Effizienz wird meist in Zeit gemessen und evaluiert.

Die wissensbasierte Authentifizierung (bspw. PIN) stellt ein Beispiel für eine solche Aufgabe dar. Als Maß der Effizienz dient hier in der Regel die Zeit, welche für die korrekte Eingabe eines Passwortes/PIN benötigt wird. Neue Erkenntnisse deuten jedoch darauf hin, dass es neben der aktiven Eingabe weitere Phasen gibt, welche sowohl die gemessene als auch die gefühlte Effizienz des Mechanismus beeinflussen. Dabei ist neben der reinen Existenz dieser Phasen auch das Verhältnis der Phasen zueinander maßgebend für die User Experience.

In diesem Einzelpraktikum soll der Einfluss der verschiedenen Authentifizierungsphasen auf die Effizienz untersucht werden. Dafür sollen mehrere Modifikationen eines PIN-Eingabesystems entwickelt und im Feldtest studiert werden.

Aufgaben:

1. Literaturrecherche / selbstständiges Aneignen von Fachwissen
2. Ausarbeitung der zu testenden Konzepte (im Team)
3. Entwicklung der Studiensoftware (Android oder iOS)
4. Planung und Durchführung der Nutzerstudie (im Team)
5. Analyse und Aufbereitung der Studienergebnisse

Bei Erfolg des Projektes besteht die Möglichkeit an einer internationalen Publikation mitzuwirken.

Description

This projects purpose is to investigate in building a full body tracking system based on self-made trackers which are usable by the HTC VIVE and its Lighthouses. We want to compare the original HTC VIVE tracker with a varying amount of self-made trackers in order to use it for VR sport analysis.

Tasks

• Building a set of at least 10 tracker based on the enclosed literature
• Implementation of an application for testing purposes
• Compare the existing Tracker with the self-made tracker in terms of usability for VR sport analysis

Preferred qualification

• Experience in hardware and software prototyping
• Experience in C# programming for Unity 3D
• Interest in performing experiments
• Interest in performance enhancement in sports

Suggested Reading

• The HiveTrackers will serve as the foundation for the self-made trackers Tracker foundations
• This project can help to create suitable sensors Sensor foundations

• Get familiar with hardware and software
• Find and study related literature
• Develop software supporting the interaction method
• Design a user study
• Conduct a user study
• Do a statistical evaluation
• Write all down in a thesis

Description

Cryptocurrencies have gained attention in the public eye increasingly. A 2018 study found that two thirds of European consumers are aware of cryptocurrencies. Yet, less than 10% of people surveyed actually bought cryptocurrency. One possible explanation is the high (technical) understanding required to engage with the technology.

The goal of this thesis is to investigate how novel onboarding strategies affect user experience for users who previously did not engage with cryptocurrency technology. How do existing Coin Management Systems (Wallets) approach the onboarding of new users? At which points do new users struggle during the initial setup? How can effective onboarding facilitate a better user experience?

Tasks

• Review of related literature
• Analyze and categorize existing wallets
• Design and conduct user study (with cryptocurrency non-users)
• Development and implementation of an effective onboarding system
• Evaluation of the implemented system

Requirements

• Independent thinking and creative problem solving
• Interest in designing and conducting user studies
• Knowledge in the area of human computer interaction
• Web Development Experience
• Interest in cryptocurrencies

Related Work

Description

Over the past years, cryptocurrencies (e.g. Bitcoin, Ethereum) and their underlying technology, Blockchain, have experienced increased interest and a steadily growing user base. Contrary to transactions in centralized systems, it is hard to foresee the time a transaction needs to complete.

The goal of this thesis is to investigate how the status of cryptocurrency transactions can be “best” displayed to users. How existing cryptocurrency and blockchain solutions display the status of transactions to users? Which information is shown and which temporal metaphors are used? How do (end-) users perceive different methods? And how do different transaction times influence, how users perceive them?

Tasks

• Review of related literature (wait times, loading screens, display of async transaction stati)
• Creation of “Transaction Models” for comparable systems (banking, messaging, cryptocurrencies)
• Analysis how existing systems (e.g. wallets) display transactions status
• Development and prototyping of improved methods to display the transaction status of cryptocurrencies
• Design of a user study and evaluation of the developed methods

Requirements

• Independent thinking and creative problem solving
• Interest in designing and conducting user studies
• Knowledge in the area of human computer interaction
• Web Development Experience (optional)
• Interest in crypto currencies (optional)

Related Work

Description

In this project, we would like to explore how VR can be used to enhance Dance experiences. From a performer perspective, the VR setting may be used to further visualize movements for example. From the observer perspective, it would be interesting to see whether these enhancements are viewed simply on a digital screen or through an HMD as well. Can it happen synchronously or only one-after-the-other?

The aim of this thesis is to explore this topic.

Tasks

• Review of related work on performer/observer interactions in digitally enhanced social viewing/entertainment/public art viewing (e.g. festival, theater) situations
• Creating an application that tracks fully body movements of VR user
• Enhancing dance movements with a design space of visualizations
• Evaluating the viewing experience from a performer and observer perspective in a small study
• Analyze the data collected from the studies and build valid conclusions

Requirements

• Independent scientific work and creative problem solving
• Interest in performing user studies and experiments
• Interest in performing arts
• Interest in VR
• Good experience with c# 3D authoring tools (e.g.,Unity)

Description

Ever get annoyed about the endless pop-up boxes on internet sites that ask you to confirm whether you want cookies or not?In this project we would like to explore how to support users in understanding what happens behind these pop up boxes when they press "ok - i want all the cookies you are offering".

The aim of this thesis is to investigate tools (e.g. visualizations) that can support users in understanding data tracking. XR may be used as a tool to support the understanding but this may change during the collaboration and is not a must have.

Tasks

• Review of related work on data privacy and usable security
• Creating a prototype that supports users in doing so
• Evaluating the prototype in a user study
• Analyze the data collected from the studies and build valid conclusions

Requirements

• Independent scientific work and creative problem solving
• Interest in performing user studies and experiments

Description

We are looking for students who are interested in creating tech to empower women (e.g. to increase awareness of hormone cycles over a month).

The aim of this thesis is to understand existing research in this field and create a design space of tools based on these findings.

Tasks

• Review of related work on female empowerment through technology
• Creating a design space or guidelines or a prototype for a specific problem in this space
• Evaluating the prototype in a user study
• Analyze the data collected from the studies and build valid conclusions

Requirements

• Independent scientific work and creative problem solving
• Interest in performing user studies and experiments

Description

In this project we want to create a tangible prototype or an application for HMD that helps children understand the concept of programming (increase analytical skills).

The aim of this thesis is to create a tool to support children in learning programming. XR may be used as a tool to support the understanding but this may change during the collaboration and is not a must have.

Tasks

• Review of related work on tech with children for STEM awareness
• Creating a prototype that supports users in doing so
• Evaluating the prototype in a user study
• Analyze the data collected from the studies and build valid conclusions

Requirements

• Independent scientific work and creative problem solving
• Interest in performing user studies and experiments

A new interface design is interfaces-inspired-by-traces-of-use. In this bachelor thesis, we focus on the creation and exploration of such interfaces in detail. That includes the creation of digital and physical 3D models which concern more than just the normal finger interaction.

Tasks:

• Research into human interaction traces.
• Redesigning and modelling example sets.
• Iterative refinement and user testing.

Requirements:

• Basic knowledge about 3D printing.
• Basic knowledeg about interface physical interface design.

Suggested Reading:

• Hirsch et al. "Affordances Based on Traces of Use in Urban Environments." 2020.
• How to create 3D Printed Organic Forms and Vases
• Zhong et al. "transTexture Lamp: Understanding Lived Experiences with Deformation Through a Materiality Lens." 2020.

This project takes place in cooperation with the Glyptothek in Munich and is a follow-up prject to the thesis project

Tasks:

• Prototyping busts and statues
• Creation of interaction concepts with the prototypes
• Iterative testing and selection of prototypes

Requirements:

• Basic knowledge about interaction concepts.
• Ambition to delve into hardware and software for prototyping.

• Hornecker and Stifter "Learning from interactive museum installations about interaction design for public settings." 2006.
• Nofal et al. "Communicating Built Heritage Information Using Tangible Interaction Approach." 2017.
• Ioannides et al. "Mixed Reality and Gamification for Cultural Heritage." 2017.

Inhalte

Das bayerische Landesforschungsinstitut fortiss und IBM werden im Rahmen des IBM fortiss Center forAI das Thema Stress-Management für sicherheitskritische Anwendungen erforschen. Dafuür wird einKonzept entwickelt, um Stress bei Einsatzkräften der Feuerwehr zu überwachen und managen. Die Ideen werden prototypisch umgesetzt und präsentiert. Die Workshops und Gespräche während desPraktika können entweder in englischer oder deutscher Sprache gehalten werden.

Bewerbung

Beschreiben Sie kurz Ihre Motivation, relevante Fachkenntnisse, beispielsweise aus früheren Kursen,Jobs und anderen Projekten, die Ihre Fähigkeiten in einem oder mehreren der folgenden Bereichedemonstrieren: Programmierung, Benutzererfahrung, Nutzerstudien, Prototyping.
Senden Sie es anyuanting.liu ät fortiss.org

Description

Mid-air gestures enable new and exciting ways of interacting with technology, especially because devices can be interacted with from a distance. Typically, gesturing follows the pointing metaphor, wherein one or both arms are extended to point towards the device, e.g., a display. However, a persistent problem is the expressive and novel nature of the interaction: users may feel uncomfortable gesturing in places wherein they receive unwanted attention. Additionally, prolonged gesturing can lead to fatigue.

The aim of this project is to investigate new approaches to gestural interaction that could make the interaction less visible and less tiresome. In particular, the aim is to investigate gestures that are carried out by holding the arm against the body, instead of reaching out with the arm.

Tasks

• Designing and implementing the overall logic for on-body gestures
• Implementing a prototype public display application
• Designing and conducting a user study

Requirements

• Interest in novel interaction techniques
• Interest in conducting user studies
• Good programming skills

Description

VR research prominently focuses on making virtual experiences as natural and realistic as possible. However, VR also provides users with capabilities they don't have in the real world, such as observing their surroundings outside of their normal viewpoint.

The aim of this project is to investigate whether enabling VR users to switch between their own and another user's viewport can enhance certain collaborative scenarios, how this affects the user experience, and what potential opportunities and challenges arise from viewport switching.

Tasks

• Literature review: charting existing research on viewport switching and out-of-body experiences
• Design and implementation of one ore more ways to switch between viewports in VR
• Implementation of virtual collaborative tasks
• Design and conduction of a user study

Requirements

• Interest in virtual reality, in particular collaborative and/or social aspects of VR
• Interest in conducting user studies
• Good programming skills
• Prior experience with VR technologies (Unity, SteamVR) is considered an asset

Description

In this project, the student will extend a previous project called GravitySpot (link; video; talk). GravitySpot is a system that guides users to specific spots in front of large interactive displays using cues that implicitly guide users. For example, in case of a display with which users can interact via mid-air gestures, a perfect position to guide users to could be 2-3 meters away from the display, but in case of interaction via eye gaze, this position could be 30-60cm away from the eye tracking device. GravitySpot guides users by showing them on-screen cues that implicitly guide people to the correct position.

In this project, we aim to implement GravitySpot 2.0, which guides multiple users in front of large displays to one or more optimal interaction positions. We attempted to implement GravitySpot 2.0 before. We started by following the same approach adopted in the first version i.e. showing on-screen cues to guide each user in a different way. However, we quickly realized that a prerequisite is to first make sure the user knows which on-screen cue they should follow. This led us to question how users identify themselves on public displays. In our investigation of this problem, we published this work (link; video).

Tasks

• Build on the two previous projects to implement and evaluate GravitySpot 2.0. Taking some points into consideration e.g. the kinds of situations GravitySpot 2.0 should cover.
• Review of previous work on interaction with public displays is necessary.
• Conducting user studies and evaluating the data
• Handling of depth imaging data from a motion sensor (e.g. Kinect)

Requirements

• Good programming skills
• Interest in conducting user studies

Description

Virtual reality provides novel opportunities for users to experience immersive simulations of reality. At the same time, we still have a limited understanding of how such simulations can go beyond just imitating the real world. This project focuses on musical interfaces, in particular, playing piano.

The objective of this work is to come up and implement novel concepts for playing piano in virtual reality. One possible example is a concept for tracking finger movements with a motion tracking system to better understand performance and to build user interfaces with the goal of enhancing this performance.

This project is available for 1 or 2 bachelor/master students.

Tasks

• Review of related literature
• Designing new concepts for piano playing in VR
• Implementing VR visualization and tracking / sensing
• User study
• Analysis and report of the findings

Requirements

• programming in Unity 3D / c#
• experience with hardware programming helpful
• interest in working with Motion Tracking
• interest in piano playing (or musical instruments in general) a plus

Problem Statement

Virtual Reality is gaining more and more importance in our daily lives as we allow ourselves to be immersed in a simulated environment. Among its many useful application, VR can be used to carry out meetings among group of people or even be used in E-learning where the participants can be aided. Gatherings can also extend to examples such as 'Skype Session with family', 'Gathering with friends' etc. During such group meetings, where the environment is essentially a multi user environment involving interaction between participants, it is important that each participant can be completely immersed in the environment and for that, interaction and visualization techniques need to be developed. The aim of the thesis is to explore the interaction and visualization techniques for social gatherings.

Tasks

• Comprehensive survey of related work
• Get familiar with hardware and software
• Conceptual design of interaction and visual techniques between avatars that enhance the virtual immersion
• Carry out a initial survey using 'Oculus Go' to determine the necessary interaction features for enhancement
• Implementation of the design which successfully integrates the various interface design to enhance group communication in VR
• Evaluation of the design through a user study

Preferred (but not necessary) qualification

• Knowledge and interest about VR
• Able to work independently
• Unity Programming

Interested students should get in touch with Radiah Rivu (radiahrivu_at_gmail.com)

Description

The objective of this thesis is to understand how interpersonal interaction in Virtual Reality differs compared to similar contexts in the real world. This knowledge is valuable in order to understand whether real world studies can be complemented with investigations in the virtual world.

The successful application is required to study the effects of proxemics and F-formations in VR, delving into one specific application scenario. Possible areas include but are not limited to public displays, automotive user interfaces, e-learning, etc.

Tasks

• Comprehensive survey of related work
• Review of relevant research questions in the application area
• Running a comparative user study (both in Real and Virtual World)
• Analysis, reflection and discussion of the outcomes

Requirements

• Independent scientific work and creative problem solving
• Interest in performing user studies and experiments
• Interest in VR
• Nice to have: Experience with 3D modelling and programming with Unity

Description

Virtual Reality is increasingly being used as a research tool. It is particularly useful in situations, where users should not be put at risk, for example, when testing a novel automotive user interface; or where running a study in the real world is a lot of effort.

At the same time, affective user interfaces, that respond to or evoke certain emotions are becoming increasingly popular. However, it is unclear yet how well emotion elicitation works for different tasks commonly done in virtual reality.

The objective of this thesis is to obtain a thorough understanding the lasting effects of emotions in humans during performing tasks in VR. We look into different tasks in VR, different emotion elicitation methods and how long the emotions last. The thesis requires the design and implementation of a user study to understand how task performance is affected due to emotions in VR. In addition, this work also explores how negative mood elicitation affects task performance.

Tasks

• Comprehensive survey of related work
• Design and development of a prototype
• Evaluation of the prototype and comparison to previous work

Requirements

• Independent scientific work and creative problem solving
• Interest in performing user studies and experiments
• Interest in VR
• Experience with C# 3D authoring tools (e.g.,Unity) is preferred

Description

Virtual Reality is increasingly being used as a research tool. It is particularly useful in situations, where users should not be put at risk, for example, when testing a novel automotive user interface.

At the same time affective user interfaces, i.e. interfaces that are either emotion-aware or aim to influence users' emotions are become increasingly popular. Similarly to VR, this line of research is particularly relevant in the context of automotive user interfaces, because it has the potential to lead to safer driving.

As of today it remains unclear, how well state-of-the-art emotion elicitation methods work in VR, which is at the focus of this thesis. The thesis specifically focuses on one elicitation technique, called autobiographic reflection. The idea is that participants recall a situation that evoked a particular emotion. This techniques is promising in automotive research, since it does not rely on any visual or auditory cues.

The objective of this thesis is to obtain an understanding of Autobiographical Recall technique in detail and how well it works in Virtual Reality. We aim to explore the various recall approaches work, including but not limited to talking to an avatar vs. no avatar, telling the story aloud vs. writing it down, recalling the situation while a research is present / while no researcher is present. Ultimately, design considerations for specific use cases should be derived.

Tasks

• Comprehensive survey of related work
• Design and development of a prototype
• Evaluation of the prototype and comparison to previous work

Requirements

• Independent scientific work and creative problem solving
• Interest in performing user studies and experiments
• Interest in VR
• Willingness to learn Unity

Generative music systems are becoming more and more relevant nowadays. In the near future Artificial Intelligences will become evenly equal partners in music making scenarios. Therefore we have to find ways to interact with systems that are able to make their own decisions and have their own creative mind. Established communication with human musicians are eye-contact, gestures, verbal expressions.How can we communicate with digital musicians, how can they communicate with humans?

Tasks:

• Development of interaction concepts for the handling of AI/generative systems in a musical context.
• Implementation of a functional prototype that demonstrates the basic concept.
• Conducting a study with students.

Requirements:

• Interest and experience in music theory.
• Experience in programming and hardware-prototyping.
• Ambition to delve into hardware and software.

Suggested Reading:

• Yamaha Artificial Intelligence (AI) Transforms a Dancer into a Pianist
• Mateas, M. (2001). Expressive AI: A hybrid art and science practice. Leonardo, 34(2), 147-153.
• De Mantaras, R. L., & Arcos, J. L. (2002). AI and music: From composition to expressive performance. AI magazine, 23(3), 43.
• Francois, A. R., Chew, E., & Thurmond, D. (2007, June). Visual feedback in performer-machine interaction for musical improvisation. In Proceedings of the 7th international conference on New interfaces for musical expression (pp. 277-280). ACM.

User interfaces facilitate interaction with digital content. Concepts such as "Undo" make it possible to reverse actions that did not have the desired effect. But what would interfaces and the corresponding interactions look like if irreversible actions were central components of interaction design? In this thesis a design exploration should be performed that focusses on materials like paper which affordances lead to actions such as tearing, crumpling, folding, punching holes, etc.. How can familiar concepts such as punch cards or origami help to design intelligible interaction metaphors, that create commitment to the actions we as users perform with technology? What impact will such concepts have on prospective actions?

Tasks:

• Concept Development.
• Design Experimentations.
• Prototyping.
• Evaluation in form of a User Study.

Requirements:

• Prototyping Experience.
• Interest in Design and UX Design.

Suggested Reading:

• Zimmerman, John, Jodi Forlizzi, and Shelley Evenson. "Research through design as a method for interaction design research in HCI." Proceedings of the SIGCHI conference on Human factors in computing systems. ACM, 2007.
• Auger, James. "Speculative design: crafting the speculation." Digital Creativity 24.1 (2013): 11-35.
• Cox, Anna L., et al. "Design frictions for mindful interactions: The case for microboundaries." Proceedings of the 2016 CHI Conference Extended Abstracts on Human Factors in Computing Systems. ACM, 2016.

Description

Developing an Android app for predicting personality traits via smartphone usage

In the PhoneStudy project, an interdisciplinary team consisting of psychologists, statisticians, and computer scientists develop an Android app, which tracks and logs the user’s smartphone behaviour to predict personality traits. For example, we track the number of users’ calls, sms, and app usage, which might predict how extraverted the user is. The app will be distributed among participants in spring 2018, which will then use the app for several months. There are several tasks for media informatics students in this project (cf. below), from which you can choose. Please contact me when you are interested in the project and will give you more details.

Tasks

• Configuring and working on the server, its scalability and stability, as well as the data base (MariaDB)
• Working on the internal web based front end of the server, which depicts the current status of participants and logged data
• Further develop the app: integrating new features and fixing current bug
• Quality management: Developing automatic testing scripts

Minimum requirements

• Interested in interdisciplinary projects
• High communication skills, especially willing to communicate interdisciplinary
• Able to work independently
• Previous experience with server configuration, (Android) app development, web development, data bases (depending on the chosen task)
• High frustration tolerance

Description

Tasks

• Conduct an extensive survey of related research with a focus on personality assessment and attitude towards data sharing.
• Design a suitable online survey based on previous research to collect coping strategies
• Recruit n = 300 participants, who fill out the online survey
• Evaluate the findings using qualitative and quantitative research analysis methods.